Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Sciascia found Zachariah Rasch, who is accused of killing and hiding the corpse of Crystal Rasch, incompetent to stand trial on Monday.
While both the defense and prosecution agreed that Rasch is unable to stand trial, Dodge County District Attorney Andrea Will asked that the case remain active, and the court approved a competency evaluation in April for Rasch.
He is charged with intentional homicide and is being held in Dodge County Jail on a $1 million bond. He faces life in prison if convicted on the homicide charge. He also is charged with a felony count of hiding a corpse.
Defense attorney Zaki Zehawi, left, talks with his client Zachariah Rasch following Rasch being found incompetent to stand trial. Rasch is accused of killing his estranged wife, Crystal Rasch.
Defense attorney Zaki Zehawi appeared in court with Rasch and asked for treatment to begin immediately.
“I think that will emphasize to the (Wisconsin Department of Health Services) the urgency of getting this started so we can move the case along as expeditiously as possible,” Zehawi said.
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Crystal Rasch, of rural Clyman, was last in contact with family through a text message on June 11, 2024. Her family became concerned and contacted the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office on June 23.
Zachariah Rasch was arrested on June 26, 2024, and was initially charged with using Crystal Rasch’s bank accounts during the time she was missing.
Crystal Rasch had filed for divorce in September 2023 and said in court papers her husband had threatened her with abuse when she had previously filed in 2019. His parental rights were terminated on June 17, 2024.
Crystal Rasch
According to the criminal complaint filed in Dodge County Court:
Deputies identified Crystal Rasch and Zachariah Rasch in a surveillance video at the Oconomowoc Goodwill on June 11, 2024. They shopped separately but left together after making purchases.
A search warrant was executed at Zachariah Rasch’s Wood Road home on June 26, 2024. A cell phone and multiple vehicles were taken by authorities.
A second search warrant was conducted on property owned by Zachariah Rasch’s family in Adams County. Rasch’s 2023 Mitsubishi Eclipse, the vehicle that was used while visiting the Oconomowoc Goodwill, was found on the property. Blood splatter matching the DNA profile of Crystal Rasch was found on and around the passenger seat. Authorities believe the vehicle was parked at the Wood Road location from June 11, 2024, until it was moved to the Adams County property about two weeks later, on June 24.
Zachariah Rasch was arrested on June 26, 2024, after law enforcement returned to the Wood Road location, where an area of the property had been cleared out with visible burn residue on the ground. There were signs that the area was recently made into a burn site and had been recently used. Bone from a human skull was found in the burn site. A number of other human bones were located during excavation of the site, including a tooth. The tooth matched the dental records of Crystal Rasch.
Zachariah Rasch
A search of Zachariah Rasch’s cell phone found Google searches beginning on April 4, 2024, questioning if police can locate an IP address. In May, a search sought information about the difference between shooting someone in the head or the chest, and June 6, 2024, search asked about widow benefits. Google searches in June asked about carpet cleaners, animals that eat bones and replacement passenger seats for the Mitsubishi Eclipse. Several searches in June in the days leading up to his arrest inquired about sulfuric acid, missing people in Wisconsin and warrants in Wisconsin.
Zachariah Rasch also was identified through video as the person who allegedly used Crystal Rasch’s debit card several times at stores and ATMs in Beaver Dam, Watertown and Juneau. Items purchased included drain cleaner, a portable air cooler and multiple cleaning supplies and items for a vehicle, as well as chemical-resistant nitrile gloves. There were also five ATM withdrawals totaling $6,500 from Crystal Rasch’s account for the purchases and the withdrawals.
Crystal had two phones, one last used on June 8 and the other used on June 17, 2024, in Wisconsin Dells, where Zachariah Rasch’s family owns land.
A scheduling conference was put on the court’s calendar for Sept. 16, with the goal of making sure everyone is on the same page before Sciascia retires Aug. 1 and the case is reassigned to a new judge.
